Chapter 4: Lines Between Us
The penthouse was quiet when Ella woke.
No sound from the kitchen. No footsteps from down the hall. Just the muffled hum of New York traffic far below — distant and cold, like everything else in this new life of hers.
She stared at the ceiling for a long time, her fingers tracing the edge of the sheet, trying to remember the last time she felt something real.
Not survival.
Not responsibility.
Just something real.
---
By noon, she was pacing.
Xavier hadn't texted. No update from Ava. Nothing.
She wasn't worried — not exactly.
She was… frustrated.
Confused.
And if she was honest with herself, a little unmoored.
This marriage had stripped her of her routine, her choices, her sense of place.
So when Ava finally appeared with a phone in one hand and a briefcase in the other, Ella didn't waste time.
"Where is he?"
Ava sighed. "Meeting. It's been a day. The board's on edge about the media attention, and Claire showing up didn't help."
Ella crossed her arms. "She's his past. Why should the board care?"
"Because she has influence. And connections. She's not just a socialite, Ella. Her father owns the largest real estate investment firm in the northeast."
Ella blinked. "So this is all… political?"
Ava gave a sad smile. "Everything in Xavier's world is."
---
It was nearly midnight when she heard the elevator.
Xavier stumbled in.
Loosened tie, glassy eyes, shoulders hunched in a way she'd never seen before.
Ella stood from the couch. "Xavier?"
He blinked slowly. "Didn't expect you to be up."
"You didn't call."
"Didn't think you'd care."
His voice was quiet. Strained. Almost... raw.
She hesitated. "What happened?"
He ignored the question, crossing to the bar and pouring himself a drink. He didn't sit. Just stood by the window, the city lights reflecting in his glass.
She joined him after a beat, keeping a cautious distance.
He sipped the whiskey and stared out.
"Claire leaked something," he said finally.
Ella tensed. "What?"
He didn't look at her. "Emails. From years ago. She's making it look like I begged her to come back."
"Did you?"
He turned to her, eyes tired. "No. But that's the thing about stories, Ella. The truth only matters if people want to hear it."
They stood in silence.
And for once, Xavier didn't feel like a billionaire.
He felt… human.
Bruised.
Alone.
She took the glass from his hand gently.
"Come sit down."
He didn't argue.
---
In the living room, they sat on opposite ends of the couch. Ella curled her legs beneath her. Xavier leaned forward, elbows on his knees, his tie hanging loose.
"You don't have to talk," she said softly. "But I'm not going to pretend I don't see you falling apart."
He gave a hollow laugh. "That's the thing. I've built my life so carefully, I forget people expect me to be anything but in control."
Ella looked at him for a long time.
"I don't need you to be perfect," she whispered. "Just honest."
He turned his head, meeting her gaze.
And in that moment — no spotlight, no cameras — they weren't pretending anymore.
They were just two people who'd made a strange, fragile truce with loneliness.
"Do you regret this?" she asked quietly.
"The marriage?"
"The deal. Me."
His voice was hoarse when he answered. "I don't know yet. But I regret how I've treated you."
She swallowed.
That was the closest thing to an apology she'd ever get from Xavier King.
And it was more than enough, for now.
---
A long silence stretched between them.
Then his eyes flicked to her hand — to the ring.
"It suits you," he said.
"Feels heavy."
"That's because it's real."
She blinked. "What?"
"The diamonds. They're real."
He said it like it meant more than jewelry.
Like it meant this was real — even if he wasn't ready to admit it yet.
Ella looked away.
"Goodnight, Xavier."
She stood and walked toward the hallway.
But just before she reached her door, she heard him.
"Ella."
She turned.
His expression was unreadable.
"If things had been different," he said, voice low, "I would've wanted to meet you in a bar. Or at a bookstore. Somewhere real."
Her heart clenched.
"But this is what we've got," he added, more to himself than her.
She nodded slowly.
And then disappeared into the shadows of the hall.
---
In her room, she lay awake long after the lights were off.
Not because she was restless.
But because for the first time since marrying him… she wanted to understand the man behind the contract.
And maybe, just maybe…
He wanted to understand her, too.